Pet Stories

Neffie, the German Shepherd

Neffie, a rescued German Shepherd dog, was misdiagnosed with a cyst in 1992. She was only 2 years old and had a growing lump on her right back.

Kelcey's Story

My Kelsey had a stone removed last year by Dr. Chick Weisse which stopped her bleeding but at the same time she was confirmed to have liver cancer. We stayed overnight and saw many other animals who all had a chance because they came to your hospital.

Bear's Story

Bear Miller was diagnosed with a grade 3 mast cell tumor 6 years ago with only two months to live by the original doctor. With only radiation and surgery, he is still thriving, even though no other dog even with chemo has lived more than 1 1/2 years even with chemo. Even with big fatty tumors, he is happy and healthy.

Crain's New York Business

Crain's New York Business
"Movers & Shakers: She speaks for the animals"
By Kira Bindrim

Published: April 4, 2010 - 5:59 am

After nearly three decades working in the human health care industry, Kathryn Coyne is turning her attention to animals. The newly named chief executive of the Animal Medical Center had most recently been CEO of Union Hospital in New Jersey, which closed in 2007. She and her staff stayed on until 2008.

Why animals?

After years of providing health care for humans, I really wanted to do the same for animals. It's always been my feeling that animals have, in a sense, no voice, so I wanted to be a part of their voice.

What's your biggest challenge?

One of our biggest challenges is competition from for-profit entities. I think competition is good for all businesses, and AMC is well-positioned to deal with it.

Has AMC been affected by the recession?

As with all nonprofits, the economy has had an impact. We've been fortunate because we've had some steady donors, but we're all struggling to make sure we can make ends meet.

Which of your former job skills will help you the most?

There are a lot of similarities between human health care and animal health care. We still need to provide high-quality care for our patients, not just the animals, but also their owners and the referring veterinarians. It's about finding an appropriate use of resources, just like with any other hospital or business.

When did you first become interested in working with animals?

A long time ago, I had to put a horse down. One of the veterinarians I worked with allowed me to be there and talked me through the process. After the horse was on the ground, the vet put his head in my lap and I was able to stay with him. These vets, who have to deal with animals that can't tell you what's wrong, and who have to diagnose from intuition and feel, are incredibly special. This woman made the whole process bearable for me. It stuck with me.

How many pets do you have?

I love animals and I've always had animals in my family. Right now I have two cats, and one donor cat that I'm taking care of. Over the years, I've also owned seven horses. Right now, I own one horse named Casino